In a manufacturing process for manufacturing semiconductor devices, liquid crystal panels, LEDs, solar cells or the like, a process gas is introduced into a process chamber which is being evacuated to perform various processes such as an etching process, a CVD process or the like. The process chamber for performing various processes such as an etching process, a CVD process or the like is evacuated by a vacuum pump. Further, the process chamber and exhaust apparatuses connected to the process chamber are cleaned periodically by supplying a cleaning gas thereto. Because exhaust gases such as the process gas, the cleaning gas or the like contain a silane-based gas (SiH4, TEOS or the like), a halogen-based gas (ClF3, HF, F2, HCl, Cl2 or the like), a PFC gas (CF4, C2F6, NF3, SF6 or the like) or the like, such exhaust gases have negative effects on human bodies and on the global environment such as global warming. Therefore, it is not preferable that these exhaust gases are emitted to the atmosphere as they are. Accordingly, these exhaust gases are made harmless by an exhaust gas treatment apparatus provided at a downstream side of the vacuum pump, and the harmless exhaust gases are emitted to the atmosphere.
In a manufacturing process for manufacturing semiconductor devices, liquid crystal panels, LEDs, solar cells or the like, various process gases, a cleaning gas and the like are used. The exhaust gas treatment apparatus for treating exhaust gases such as various process gases and a cleaning gas, has the following problems.
(1) In the exhaust gas treatment apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing processes, for example, a combustion-type exhaust gas treatment apparatus, the number of the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses which can cope with exhaust gas treatment depending on gases and reactions used in the semiconductor manufacturing process has been determined. Then, specifications of the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses, which are customized to the amount and kinds of the gases to be introduced, have been prepared for respective customers and respective semiconductor manufacturing processes, and evaluation tests have been performed and then the exhaust gas treatment apparatus has been brought to the market. At that time, a combustion part, a cooling part, a powder collection part and the like have been designed respectively so that treatment performance of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus enables the concentration of the treated exhaust gas to be an allowable concentration or smaller. Further, the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses for a manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal panels or solar cells, differ in the amounts and kinds of gases to be introduced, and thus the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses have quite a few specifications. Therefore, the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses need to be designed, manufactured and evaluated, for respective customers and respective manufacturing processes, thus requiring a great deal of labor and increasing an apparatus cost.
(2) Recently, a large pump system which combines a plurality of booster pumps (BP) comprising a dry pump (DP) and a plurality of main pumps (MP) comprising a dry pump (DP) has been widely available on the market, and thus the exhaust gas treatment apparatus has an increased need to deal with a large amount of gas flow from such large pump system from now on. Further, an integrated-type system in which a dry pump (DP) and an exhaust gas treatment apparatus are packaged has been introduced into the market. However, such integrated-type system is designed each time to meet respective required specifications. Therefore, the design of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus has required considerable amounts of cost and time.
(3) Since the conventional exhaust gas treatment apparatus is large in size and needs to be installed fixedly on a base or a floor, the installation and setting up of the apparatus has been costly in the light of transportation, installation and the like, and has required a large amount of work time. Further, relocation of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus has also required comparable cost and work time. Furthermore, since the exhaust gas treatment apparatus is installed fixedly on the base or the floor, it has been necessary to repair a trouble of the apparatus on site and to shut down a process apparatus until the completion of repair of the apparatus.
(4) In the case where an exhaust gas is treated by a combination of a plurality of abatement types, there are a combination of a dry-type exhaust gas treatment apparatus and a combustion-type exhaust gas treatment apparatus, a combination of a wet-type exhaust gas treatment apparatus and the combustion-type exhaust gas treatment apparatus, and other combinations. Even in such combinations, individual exhaust gas treatment apparatuses have needed to be designed each time, so as to suit characteristics of the respective exhaust gas treatment apparatuses while being in consideration of the amount and kind of gases to be introduced. Further, even in the case where a plurality of exhaust gas treatment apparatuses are combined, the number of the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses is limited from the restriction of installation place and the cost. In order to meet the required treatment capacity, the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses have sometimes been designed to have excessive capacity. Further, in the case where the required treatment capacity has been changed due to a change in a manufacturing process, or in the case where the exhaust gas treatment apparatus has broken down, modification design, on-site modification work, or on-site repair work of the complex exhaust gas treatment apparatus has been required. In these cases, the process apparatus has been needed to be shut down during the on-site work. Furthermore, even in an attempt to change the type of the exhaust gas treatment, it has been difficult to replace the exhaust gas treatment apparatus actually because of its large size and expensiveness.
(5) In the exhaust gas treatment apparatus used in the manufacturing process, it is common to use a plurality of exhaust gas treatment apparatuses with respect to a plurality of process chambers. Since the exhaust gas treatment apparatus is large in size and expensive, a plurality of exhaust gas treatment apparatuses are required to beck up each other, thus requiring complex piping arrangement and complex mutual back-up systems. It is difficult to install a plurality of exhaust gas treatment apparatuses, for back-up, with respect to one process chamber in view of both cost and securing of installation place. Further, since maintenance cycles differ between the dry pump and the exhaust gas treatment apparatus, the process apparatus has required to be shut down each time the maintenance of each of them is performed.
(6) Conventionally, when the exhaust gas is treated by the combination of a plurality of abatement types, a controller for controlling the exhaust gas treatment apparatus is provided in each of the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses. Therefore, a connecting part (interface) is needed between each of the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses and a process apparatus, and thus the installation of the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses is costly and time-consuming.